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“Same here, Ferris. It’s been years.” Wyatt released the handshake and slipped a palm onto Kelsey’s back. “This is my girlfriend, Kelsey. Kelsey, this is Mrs. Regina Pritchard, a former neighbor of mine. And her son, Ferris. He was a few years behind me in school. I used to tutor him in math.”
Mrs. Pritchard gave her an enthusiastic hand squeeze and a beaming smile. “So nice to meet you, Kelsey. And what a pretty dress. I love that print.”
The tension in Kelsey eased as she returned the woman’s greeting. Mrs. Pritchard reminded her of a home ec teacher she’d had in middle school—a force of nature but a benign one. “Thank you.”
Mrs. Pritchard swept a hand, indicating her own bright purple dress and generous curves, then lowered her voice. “I had to give up the prints a long time ago. Ferris told me there really can be too much of a good thing. And I’m not going to go against the opinion of a gay fashion designer.”
Kelsey pressed her lips together, not sure how to react to that.
But Ferris didn’t miss a beat. He shook Kelsey’s hand. “And I’m the gay fashion designer. Nice to meet you.”
She laughed. “I’m the straight baker.”
And that felt good to say. Even though it was a vast expansion on the truth. This is what it would feel like to be proud of a job.
“Excellent,” he said, his warmth as genuine as his mother’s.
Wyatt cleared his throat, clearly searching for small talk, and eventually landed on what was comfortable for him—facts. “Mrs. Pritchard owns the Belle Bridal Boutique chain and the Belle of the Ball wedding planning service. She handles a lot of celebrity weddings.”
“Oh, wow,” Kelsey said, genuinely impressed. Even she knew those wedding boutiques were the best of best. And she could definitely picture the boisterous Mrs. Pritchard directing an army to put together an event. “What an exciting job that must be.”
She patted Kelsey’s arm and leaned forward as if telling her a secret. “To tell the truth, the celebrity ones exhaust me. Nothing like having paparazzi trampling all over the place like raccoons digging through the trash. I much prefer the more private affairs or smaller destination weddings.” She sent Wyatt a pointed look. “So when this one pops the question on you, you give me a call, sweetie, and I’ll give you a fairy tale.”
Kelsey nearly choked at the preposterous thought, though it didn’t stop the little girl thrill of thinking about a fairy-tale wedding from zipping through her. God, where had that come from? “Oh, we’re just dating, ma’am.”
Mrs. Pritchard looked between the two of them, her bright pink lips curling into a conspiratorial smile. “I’ve been doing this for a few decades. I can recognize the lasting couples from the temporary ones.”
Kelsey glanced at Wyatt, expecting to find that panicked look men get when anyone mentions marriage, but he looked more thoughtful than anything. Kelsey needed to think quick. She remembered Mrs. Pritchard being on the index cards. Surely a woman in charge of such a wedding empire could be a great potential client, especially when she seemed to have genuine warmth toward Wyatt. This was her chance to take some action and help.
She reached out a hand to Ferris. “Would you care to dance? I’d love to hear about your designs.”
“Sure.”
Wyatt did send her a panicked expression now, and she slid her gaze toward Mrs. Pritchard, hoping he got the message. He did. They had a brief, silent argument. She won. His polite smile reappeared. “Mrs. Pritchard, would you do me the same honor?”
The older woman pressed a hand to her chest like she was having a slight palpitation. “Of course. Who am I to turn down an offer from such a handsome gentleman? Though, Ferris may be jealous.” She leaned closer to Wyatt, but didn’t lower her voice. “He had such a schoolboy crush on you back then. I’ve never seen him study so hard.”
Ferris tilted his face toward the stars as if praying for patience. “I think my next design needs to be a customized muzzle.”
Kelsey bit her lip to hide her smile and Wyatt chuckled, unfazed by the revelation. “Hopefully, your taste has improved since then.”
Ferris gave Wyatt a good-natured smile. “I do try to avoid going after the straight guys these days. But hey, at least now I’m good at math.”
Mrs. Pritchard winked at her son, her pride and affection toward him obvious. “So, Wyatt, are you going to dance with a broad or what?”
“I’m all yours, ma’am.” Wyatt offered her his arm, the set of his shoulders softer than a few moments before. This woman was impossible to remain uptight around. “Maybe you can teach me a few moves.”
Kelsey watched them walk toward the dance area as she and Ferris trailed behind, and she barely resisted the urge to spin around in a victory dance. She didn’t know if Wyatt could keep up with Mrs. Pritchard on the dance floor, but she knew one thing for sure—she’d just helped him go the extra step to get a potential new client. Maybe she really could be useful for him here.
Kelsey danced with Ferris, who was just as charming as his mother, then circulated the party with Wyatt for another half hour. Wyatt hadn’t been kidding about his hatred for small talk, but she’d let him play the strong and silent type while she filled in the gaps. Luckily, when Wyatt did have something to say, people seemed to want to listen. He already had two meetings set up for when they got back to Texas. And that fact seemed to lift his mood considerably as the night pressed on.r: Roni Loren
She leaned into him. “I probably should be nervous, but I feel like I’ve had a couple of shots of tequila.”
He chuckled. “You had a couple of shots of something.”
She poked his ribs, but then turned into him, pushing up on her toes and kissing him like they’d been lovers forever. Her blue eyes were soft when she pulled away. “Thank you for that.”
“For what, love?” he asked, sensing she wasn’t simply thanking him for the sex.
